Spring Breaking the Bank

Italy has always been a dream of mine since we studied the Roman’s in history class and I studied art in college. The amount history and culture that could erupt from one peninsula always blew me away. This trip met and exceeded even the highest of my expectations. Early Friday morning we headed out with the others from our group: Jason, Adit and Rafael.

Our first stop was to Venice. The break happened to coincide with Carnivale, the Venetian celebration before Lent. We were all excited for a huge street party of people walking around in costume and masks. What we got was a little more sobering. There were the people and the masks, but the party was subdued. This is not to suggest we did not have a great time.


As always it was an adventure. On the train heading from Milan to Venice we realized we had no idea how to get to our hotel and it was getting late and dark. Thanks to a nice girl sitting next to us, Martina, we got directions to our hotel. She called the place for us twice and wrote everything down so hopefully we would make it since our hotel was nowhere near Venice. In fact it was a 2 hour ferry ride away on the island of Lido de Jesolo. We rushed to make the last bus to the island from a train station that we would have missed without Martina's help. We made it in plenty of time to check in and hit up the only open restaurant in the desolate beach town for our first Italian meal of pizza and carafes of wine.


The next morning, before heading in to Venice, we took a stroll along the beach. It was absolutely a beautiful day and it felt great to hear the waves and see the water.


After the beach, headed out to Venice. Our first stop once we got off of the ferry was to pick out masks for the occasion. It took us about an hour, but we picked the masks perfectly. Everyone’s masks fit their face and personality so well it was scary. We all looked great, so much so that we were asked to pose in pictures by other people walking the streets.

We walked around San Marco and crossed the famous bridge of Venice, Ponte di Rialto, which crosses the Canal Grande. We ate lunch at a place suggested by Rafael, who had been to Venice before with his mother. The restaurant was right on the Canal Grande and the food, like the views, were spectacular. We walked the city for the rest of the day and took in the sights. Venice is very picturesque. I was honestly surprised how clean and blue the canals were, especially compared to those in Amsterdam.

Roark surprised me, since it was Valentine’s Day, with some beautiful jewelry made from Murano glass. Murano glass is from the island of Murano, right off the coast of Venice, which is famous for its vibrant colors and unique technique. He also bought me some roses. Even my cappuccino had a heart in the foam that morning. I really appreciated how he made the day special.



That night, before we had to catch our ferry home, we spent some time in Piazza San Marco again. They had performances going on, one of which was unreal. Three dinosaurs, or people on stilts, walked among the crowd. They made noises that sounded straight out of Jurassic Park. It was a surreal experience.

Our next stop on our spring break trip was Rome. We ended up staying in this nice hostel by the train station with this typical Italian Grandmother running it who warned us not to ride the bus and told us where to keep our wallets. The place was really cozy.

The first night there, we tried to get some Mexican based on some suggestions that the hostel owner gave us. We were all disappointed that the place was closed, as we have been craving cheese dip like crazy, but we ended up going to a wonderful Italian place. The food was extremely good and fresh, very unique. We decided to call it an early night so we could get an early start to the Colosseum the next morning.


We started our walk out in the direction of the Colosseum early enough. The first sight of it was when we were coming over the crest of a hill while walking on a bridge. We all just stopped in awe. The structure is massive. When we walked passed it and through it, it was if you could still hear and feel the people and crowds. It had a charged atmosphere that was energizing.
We had two wonderful tour guides that day: one that showed us around the Colosseum and one that showed us around Palatine Hill. We got to see all the graffiti on the Colosseum and were given vision of the emperor’s place on the hill, since nothing really remains (although I did get to stand where the emperor once sat on his throne!) We walked through the Roman Forum and saw where all the great activities of the Roman’s were centered. I think we all wished we were able to see the city in its glory days.

Next we walked to the National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy. Just when I thought that the Romans built all the things great in this city, I saw the looming staircases of white marble topped with large columns and oversized statues. Jason and I walked to the top to take in the views of the ancient ruins we just saw and the streets of Rome. Unfortunately, they were closing the structure, so by the time everyone else tried to walk up, they were told to leave.

Afterwards we caught some pizza and then headed out to Trevi Fountain to see it at dusk. It is amazing how in Rome you can happen to just turn a corner and see the most awe inspiring thing, so beautiful, you don’t understand how it got there or why. Trevi Fountain was built right into the back of a building that looked to still be occupied. The sounds of the rushing water, the people and play of light made this a wonderful moment in the city of Rome.

The next morning we headed out to the Vatican. We rushed across the city in order to make it in time to tour with our guide from the Palatine Hill again since she was so 'informative' (although, the guys probably just thought she was hot). We made it in time to relax in a coffee cabana while waiting for the rest of our tour group to gather.

We entered through the Vatican Museum. It is amazing how many notable pieces the Museum

has acquired or actually commissioned on its walls. Some important pieces we saw were one of five known bronze statues from the Romans, this one of Hercules. We walked through the Gallery of Maps, which were drawn situated to the position of the Pope in Rome. We saw the most impressive tapestries and frescos painted by Rafael to adorn the Pope’s living chambers.

The Sistine Chapel was just as breathtaking as imagined. The colors were so vibrant and it was wonderful to be in a room filled with creations of the most admired artists. We were told not

to take pictures since the company that paid for the cleaning of the chapel now had copyrights to all the images. We all thought that was lame, since they were not the ones that created the frescoes, so we cheered on those that took some anyways.

Although I was really anticipating the Sistine Chapel the most as a part of my Vatican visit, it was St. Peter’s Basilica that really blew my mind. Words cannot describe the awe you feel walking into the church, the belittlement you experience being dwarfed by a structure so large. Every inch is a testament to the finest craftsmanship, planning and materials. It was a true celebration of what man can accomplish and it rivaled everything I have seen to this day. The structure is 30 stories high and covered in the most beautiful marble. Each alcove contains a beautifully crafted sculpture or mosaic, like Michelangelo’s Pieta. Everywhere you

look, you want to take a picture; but pictures do it no justice.

After St. Peters, the Pantheon was less of a thrill, but nothing to scoff at. The dome over the open structure that was originally a Roman temple, but now a Catholic church, was wonderfully designed and a feat for its time. Spinning in the center of the building while staring at the dome was so dizzying that we all about fell over.

Saying good by to Rome (and wishing we had one more day), we headed out to Naples. We had all been warned how sketchy the city could be, but were completely unprepared for what we saw. Naples looked like something you would consider a 'nice' city... in a third world country. It looked like it was bareley hanging together; graffiti and garbage covered every surface in sight, and you had the feeling you were about to get robbed any minute. Jason actually caught a guy with a hand in his pants pocket while on the bus. If they were not sneaking to steal from you, they were hustling just the same on the streets offering anything they thought you might want.


Without Pompeii and the islands near by, Naples would never be a tourist destination. People would steer clear. Yet, people from all over visited the city. We stayed in the most amazing hostel every while there: Hostel of the Sun. Some pretty crazy (but fun) Italians ran it, and it had lots of heart. The people that stayed there were from all over, extremely friendly and lots of fun to hang out with.

The first day we hit up a recommended pizza place by the guy that ran our hostel. Naples is famous for its pizza and this was one place that did not disappoint. The pizza there was the best in this world, no lie. They were so large they hung off the plate onto the table and were covered in the freshest ingredients in such combination to make your mouth feel a heavenly euphoria.


After coming down from our pizza high, we headed to the National Museum of Archeology. They displayed many artifacts from Pompeii that had survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Afterwards, we headed back to rest up for our trip to Pompeii in the morning.

We went to Pompeii with a group of people we met at the hostel. We rode a bus out to the site and started off in groups exploring. It was really interesting to see the lay out of the city and villas. Some of the houses still had frescos on the walls, tiles on the floors, and columns and fountains for decoration. We saw the fast food restaurants, markets, graffiti, brothels, the temple and amphitheater. The houses were all very beautiful and it seemed as though the people of Pompeii were well off.

In the streets there were neat little boulders lined up to walk across the street. We found out these were there since waste was poured out onto the streets. We all met up at the colosseum at the end of our visit. We were able to sit at the very top of the arena and enjoy the beautiful weather. The views were amazing; we could see all of the bay area, Naples and the mountains surrounding it.


After our trip, we headed back to the hostel for a rest, a little Scarface and drinking before grabbing more of the best pizza in the world again. The next morning before we set out for Florence, we walked to the pier and dipped our hands in the Mediterranean. The water was so clear you could see straight down into the bay below. We all wanted to stay and enjoy the water and warmer weather, but Florence was waiting.


We checked in to our hostel and then took a hike up to the Piazza di Michelangelo. From there we took in the lovely views of the valley and the city of Florence. Then we walked down through the city. Florence is by far my favorite city I have visited. It is small, but contains so much culture and history. You can tell the residents take pride in their city. Afterwords, we walked past Duomo, the most well known landmark of Florence and it's Baptistery with the famous gates. The dome of the church dominates the skyline and the bell tower is visible from all over the city, like an ancient skyscraper.



Before dinner we walked to Piazza Della Signoria and looked at the statues that were displayed under an arched covering. They were all beautifully done, especially Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Woman. Although the sculpture was of a rape scene, the figures looked to be performing an airy ballet. Dinner was at a quaint little place with wonderful homemade pastas. We then headed out for gelato, which Florence is known for. We all suffered from sticker shock at the price, but nonetheless, it was a wonderful treat.

The next day, Jason, Roark and I sat on a bridge overlooking the river enjoying the morning. The weather was great and the town was so peaceful. From our spot we enjoyed a nice view of Ponte Vecchio, which was built in 1345 for blacksmiths and butchers who would dump their waste in the river. Now it houses all gold shops.

We had all intentions of visiting the Uffizi gallery that Rafi had pointed out the night before. Once we were inside, I was a little confused as to where in the gallery we were according to the guidebook. I asked an attendant and she informed me we were not at Uffizi, but rather Palazzo Vecchio. We had a good laugh, but took the time to enjoy the museum we paid for. The rooms of the palace and town hall were beautifully decorated and we even got to see a Michelangelo and Donatello sculpture that were among the collections. Roark really enjoyed the room of maps, as he has been collecting maps of the places we have visited and decorating our apartment walls with them as well.


Then headed out to the Galleria dell’Accademia, where Michelangelo’s David resides. On our way, we visited Duomo during the day and got to walk inside. All the little details about the church make it the most ornate one we have visited. Everything was even more splendid in the daylight. Viewing David was also a splendid sight. The sculpture, carved from one single block of marble, is a testament to Michelangelo’s mastery as a sculptor. His figure dwarfs you, and his hands are larger than your head.


Being exhausted from our week of travels, we all went back and took a nap before our last Italian dinner. We all had plans to drink wine and do it big. We all barely made it through dinner and back into our bed. Travel worn, we headed back to Metz the next morning. In the Strasbourg train station, we found several groups of people from the program on their way back from Italy also. We all rode back in a car together, sharing our stories, laughing and having a good time, much to the dismay of the tight-laced French people on the train. I guess we all took a little bit of Italy back with us.